Do Pandas Have Tails?

The short answer

Yes – the giant panda does have a tail.

Growing up

Despite growing to weigh over 100kg, the giant panda starts off not very giant at all. At birth a panda cub weighs around 150g and is only around 15cm long. When they’re this small the panda’s tail makes up a whopping one quarter of its total body length.

However while young pandas experience a growth spurt between the ages of 5 and 7, their tails don’t quite keep up! Body length for an adult giant panda can reach 1.8 metres, at this stage their tails are only around one tenth of their total body length.

The tail of the giant panda can be difficult to see because of their thick fur but also because they generally keep their tails tucked low, close to their body. Their tail is not used to express emotion as it is with some other animals (think cats and dogs), so often goes unnoticed.

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